Show ED 1 S 0 0 tut birj S MI J e BY PRESIDENT joen JOHN fi c e salt sall L zake lake ake city tuesday ay afternoon oct vh ism reported BY lly GEO F GIBBS owing to press bf important bustness business feess fiess the publication of this dise discourse onese has been delayed its contents will be found as valuable today to day as when it was dell deli delivered vered ED DEN I 1 will state to the conference that we have no financial account to present rient because we do not get our returns from the various stakes until the close of each year in consequence quence of this we find it impracticable to present a satisfactory account to the general conference oftener than once a year yean the lord has given us a certain work to accomplish and the feelings or ideas of men in the world in relation work have but little to do with us we are gathered heie here for the express purpose of building u up the church and kingdom of god the earth we are endeavoring inc to do this that is a great many of the people are to the very best of their ability and we consider our cur ourselves selves responsible to god for the action we take and for the course we pursue in relation to the fulfillment of his purposes we think that in building temples Temple sr sending the gospel to the nations of the earth and prosecuting our other labor 4 that we are carrying out the word and will and the commands of god yet it not happens that when we are doing our very best to promote correct principles among ourselves as well as to spread s read them abroad even to all nations Z ion lon that we meet with de determined ermin and unrelenting opposition this we cannot help we do not seek it but we do to not fear it there has haa existed a principle of antagonism ever i since bince the dainef dawn dain of creation namely the powers of god have been opposed I 1 y the powers of the evil one satan and wicked elien ellen men have operated to suave subvert L rt the plans and designs of jehovah and if we have a ut little tle tie of such opposition to contend with idour in our day there is t new in it jt the martyr stephen when fathe the council to an awer to a charge chargo of blasphemy bIas blas pHemy baid bald said which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted and r fe they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the just on one af pf whom ye have been now the be and murderers we have always expected that there would be a spirit of or antagonism to 4 aka church and kingdom of god and anil our elders have been telling u more or less duning during tha the last fifty bairs eairs years that this feeling still existed and indeed every now and then nwe we have occasion to believe them f ar to use an old saying the devil f is not dead yet and he uses his in fluence now as in former days to oppose the principles that god has revealed we bejare are gathered here from many dallons in order that god may plant among us the principles and laws jaws of eternal lives that we may operate in the Pries priesthood lood with the holy men who held it in former ages and with god the father and with jesus the mediator and with wit h the holy angels in the interests of mankind not only in things pertaining to ourselves individually but in those that concern the whole world not only to the people that now live but also to those who have lived for the piana plans of god reach back bach into eternity and forward into eternity and we are being taught and instructed ted through ali gli the holy Mel mei chise dek priesthood which holds now as in is past aes ages T the keys of the mysteries of th the revelations of god it is our privilege to operate through this oi order onder der with men who have held the same keys beys and possessed the same powers and have had the same communication with god and who have looked forward to the ti time me with joyful anticipation that we now live in namely to the dispensation of the falness of times ton for this purpose we are gathered toe together her for this purpose we are building temples according to the order and revelations of god for until he revealed these things to us we knew nothing about them and the world of mankind today to day know nothing about temples and their uses if we were to build temples for them ao go ardin the he mpr 8 af pf W ap pp t would not know how to administer in them neither could we know had theLo the lord not revealed to ashow us how to doit dolt which he did through the he P prophet p het bet joseph we aro arc acting u upon u this revealed knowledge today seeking to carry out the will the designs and the purposes of god in the in n erest erest crest of of comi common llon fion human for a few people only not for tho the people of the united states only nor for those of two or three I 1 nations but for the people of the whole world and the hearts of the people are being drawn after these principles or in other words the hearts of the children cli cil ildren lidren are being turned towards the fathers as well as the hearts of the fathers towards the children the spirit that is bein g manifested in the various stakes of zion is very i creditable in this respect to the lat ter day saints and we purpose god being our helper and the devil not hinde hindering r in gu us s to go on with our work to b build u I 1 id our temples and to administer in them and to accas act aeb as the friends of god upon the earth and if we are not his friends he fie has none for there is no people anywhere except the latter day saints who will listen to his laws and arid as they say sometime sometimes its a tight squeeze for us to do it the question is shall we falter in our calculations I 1 think not but I 1 think we will sayas say as the ancient servant of god said to a man who was wag seeking to hinder the progress of the building of a temple to the lord of hosts 1 I am doing a great work hinder me not we are doing a great work and we would say to our dur outside friends and to people generally who are not conversant with our timm tiff affairs airs will you te bb so 0 kind as to let us alone and hinder us not so that we may go on with our labor libor af 10 love iove ve in the common interests of humanity and in our efforts to promote the welfare of the world at large this is one thing we have llave to do andee and wo will try to do it the lord beh being 01 our oun ir helper T then n another thing thino we are called upon to do is to 0 prea preach i the gospel to every creature throughout the world chhy why the people will oppose you that they always did but jesus said and I 1 will say by way of Hi His s words for they are aa as true today to day as they were indis day blessed are ye when wilen men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you my rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven li eaven nor for so persecuted they the were before you therefore we need not be troubled about it when we first stat stai stained ted out in this work we never looked for anything else and we have not looked in vain either we have found an abundance of it aej and we have commenced to regard it as a natural thing but boutwe we must not forget that we owe a duty to the world the lord has bas given tous the light of eternity and we are commanded not to conceal our light under a bushel but on the cant contrary we should let it shine forth as a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid we need not try to get into an out of the way corner from the gaze ot of the public eye for we cannot we thought we had bad wandered a long way from civilization when we came here but according to the remarks of the speakers this morning a certain degree of it has followed us and we are not quite out of it yet but there are some things we can do we will let them pur pui pursue lue sue their course and we will ask them if ir they will be so good and so kind as asto to letus jet let us worship god according to the dictates of our consciences this is not a very great boon to ask of anybody still we do ask that we may be perm permitted 1 t tedi in this thia land of liberty in this land which we call the home of the brave and the land of the free the asylum of the oppressed of all nat mat nations ions lons we ask that we may have the s mple simple i privilege of worshiping god according to the dictates of 0 our ar own consciences then while they are trying to injure us we will try to do them good we will teach teaell them good principles at home and we will send the gospel abroad and the kind klud of men we want as bearers beat ors of this gospel message are men who wiio have faith in god men who have faith in their religion men who wiio honor the their r pr priesthood 1 estwood est hood bood I 1 men in whom the deop people who know them have faith and in whom godbay god lias confidence and not some poor unfortunate beings who are wanted to leave a place because they cannot live in it but we want men full of th holy ghost and the power of god that they may go forth weeping bearing rf pl ti M im win wig ha ef q of terdal life ilfe and then returning with gladness bringing their sheaves with them these are the kind of menai men wt want TWant we do not want the men of or the former elass class presented to us to go on missions if rth Ith they eyare are and we find it out we shall not send them for such men cannot gd with gur bur fellowship and good bod feeling men who bear the words of I 1 ilfe life among the nations ought to be men of honor integrity virtue and purity and this thia being the command of god GW to u us we shall try and aud carry earry it some imagine that we have almost got rbt through with our work when the truth of the matter is 19 we have hardly commenced yet here liere is brother joseph young who nybo represents the seventies brother joseph how many seventies are there enrolled brother young r replied e that there were 1 I am told that there are severities we expect ei to call upon a great many of these men to go abroad and proclaim the falness of the gospel we received reb zeb elved a small order lately wely you know kno we talk business sometimes for 40 missionaries to go and add labor in one place plate they did not send the money to pay their fare but then we have the missionaries and we will trust trustin in god for our pay and we shall get it if we are found doing Ms his will and carrying out his Hi sjur poses pores again another duty we e have to do is to preserve the order of god among ourselves and here is a great responsibility resting upon the Preside president nita fitA of stakes and their couns Codus counselors elors and upon the B shops and their counselors and upon all men lii lri the church and aud kingdom of god and ulon upon the twelve specially to see sue that the order of god is carried but out and that iniquity in i equity does mot not exist among the Raint saint the abst high god we talk sometimes about lut the out side world anu and 1 va we sometimes indulge in upon ubil them arnd arid there Is is plenty of room for it no ilo doubt uio tio burthen burr then what of ourselves what do db we do do own nhem rhem members ebers keep some artlie of the very verb very a loons we talk about and do not we engage in this bus business because we are afraid somebody else will why that I 1 is s the menor mentor the thief thief he says allf if I 1 do not etea somebody kese lebe will but bu t be besides sides pay these brethren we want to get a living bubba but he fore I 1 would live in that I 1 would die and make an end 0 of f it 1 would not be mixed up with su such eb concerns nor have any hand band in them but pursue another and more honorable course to get a livin living than in seeking to put the bip cup fo to the mouth of the drunkard and in leading our youth and others who may le ie inclined that way in the path that leads to death what ele elce eie do we do why some of us eiders elders and some of us high priests anc and ge geventie seventies ventie frequent these places and anc get drunk and disgrace ourselves and our families and the people with whom we are associated and what else do we do we vve are cam commanded to remember the sabbath day to keep it holy aud and yet we find that our trains leave this city every sabbath until the weather gets too cold to bathe carrying many of our people who indulge in all kinds of amusements amusements and thus violate the sabbath which we are commanded to keep holy which many respectable gentiles would never think of doln doin doing and yet you tou arla are latter day sain saints ts are you you kou are a good people and you will talk about the gift of the ther holy ghost and the spirit of god being in you while you are violat violating some of the plainest everyday every day principles of the gospel of christ and what then why whyde we have been told about the gentiles introducing into our midst what is termed the tho social evil and wo tind some of our youth and older ones too contaminating tamina ting themselves with it thereby breaking their covenants and forsaking their god and d disgracing themselves before god angels and all good men such men are a disgrace to any community much less to a community professing as we do to be saints are such persons saints ko no they are not can we fellowship no we cannot god requires it of us ins before we talk of cleansing the outside of the platter to see that the inside i leanto place ou ourselves 1 right upon the record do we do it well sometime om etline 0 I 1 was going to say hardly ever S sometimes 0 we do it but in a great many instances we do to not riot do it what is the matter good men have mean sons and the sons must not be handlik handled why so god you will remember had a hoti of of few ona iq n mim min ehg did llo do night right and they were cast out even a third part of his entire family that is the way I 1 read it again there are some sons who are goodr good ernen irnen men who have reputable drs dra fathers who have llave departed from cor teet reet principles but out of respect to the fathers in the one instance and the sotis in the other we allow evil ways to go unchecked well you presidents til and ada i you bishops and you priests and ano teach urs tra may i do that isyou if you fou leae hut huu but their blood will be upon your heads bead not upon mine and aud ye we call upon you to bonor honor brior your calling and priesthood and purge purd from your midst corruption of every kind hind and we call pall upon the presidents of stakes and their counselors Counselor st upon the r t bishops and their counselors and upon the priests teachers and deacons to h magnify a gui gul ry office and not to be pa partakers par r takers of other mens sins ans for as sure surg as I 1 live and as god lives if you do god will require it at your hands and therefore I 1 call upon presidents and men in authority where men do not magnify their calling talling to remove them from their position tiong of responsibility and replace them by men who will vill and let us have correct principles and the order of god carried out in zion apostles prophets pastors teachers and evangelists were placed plated id in the church of kofold oid old for what for the perfecting of the saints for the work vork of the ministry for the edifying of the body of f christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the of the son of god unto a perfect man unto the nie measure asure of the stature of the falness of christ it isso is so today to day my url ure brethren thren who have spoken havo have told you plainly of many evils that exist in our midst out we nwe can scarcely perceive them many of us sometimes it is very difficult to discern between a saint and a sinner between one who professes to fear god and one who does no not it is for us to straighten out these matters and you men in authority will be held responsible and the Twelve will be held beld responsible and I 1 hold you responsible and god will |